The Dane County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to operate three traffic enforcement grants this summer, according to the release. As part of the grants, deputies are focusing on increasing seat belt usage, as well as enforcement of intoxicated and distracted driving.

During four hours of enforcement, six sheriff’s deputies issued 56 traffic citations and six warnings for a variety of violations, officials said.

On June 3, one of the alcohol grant enforcement days, a traffic stop was made on a suspected drunk driver, Johnathan M. Hawkins, 28, who fled when he was asked to exit his vehicle, according to the release. Hawkins crashed his vehicle a short distance away, and then fled on foot.

According to the release, the efforts of the grants appear to be successful, as the WisDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety says traffic fatalities are down by 8.5 percent compared to this time last year.

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